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07/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- In a first half filled with disappointment, Carlos Silva has been an unexpected source of joy for the Chicago Cubs. Tonight the rejuvenated pitcher takes aim at a 10th victory of 2010 when he takes the mound for the North Siders, who'll be attempting to salvage a split of a four- game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the final contest for both teams before the All-Star break.
After back-to-back forgettable seasons with Seattle in which amassed a brutal 5-18 record with an equally-poor 6.81 earned run average, Silva was dealt to the Cubs in the offseason for troublesome outfielder Milton Bradley in a swap of underachievers. The deal has provided a new lease on life for the right- hander, who's emerged as the most consistent member of the Chicago rotation. Through his first 16 starts as a Cub, Silva has posted an impressive 9-2 record along with a 2.96 ERA and walked a mere nine batters in 100 1/3 innings of work.
The 31-year-old returned to the win column by holding the Diamondbacks to two runs and four hits over six sharp innings this past Tuesday in Arizona, upping his season road record to 5-0 with a 3.05 ERA in seven starts. Silva had registered two losses and a pair of no-decisions over his previous four outings, although he allowed two runs and lasted at least six innings in three of those games.
Silva enters tonight's tilt riding a string of seven consecutive quality starts and has gone 3-2 with an outstanding 2.31 ERA over that span. He also sports a 3-0 mark in seven lifetime appearances (two starts) against the Dodgers, but hasn't faced Los Angeles since the 2006 season.
As a team the Cubs haven't been nearly as consistent, as the expected National League Central contenders enter today's play 10 games under .500 (39-49) for the season and 9 1/2 games back of surprising Cincinnati for first place in the division. Chicago has won four of the first six tests on its current road trip, however, and got back on track in this series with a 7-3 victory on Saturday.
The Cubs pounded Los Angeles rookie John Ely for six runs over the first three innings en route to avenge a pair of losses to the Dodgers to begin this set. Geovany Soto knocked in three of those runs with a homer and a single as part of a 3-for-4 day at the plate.
Starlin Castro added a pair of RBI singles and Aramis Ramirez had a solo homer for Chicago, which received six effective innings out of starting pitcher Tom Gorzelanny as well.
Gorzelanny (4-5) allowed two runs -- one earned -- and struck out seven Los Angeles hitters while issuing just one walk.
"It was a good day," said Gorzelanny. "Things worked out the way I wanted them to, I was able to put pitches where I wanted to [and] was able to locate."
Ely (4-7), on the other hand, struggled mightily for the Dodgers. The slumping rookie was rocked for six runs on five hits and walked three batters before being removed with one out in the third inning.
"It's tough to lose your starter that early and give up six runs," said Dodgers manager Joe Torre. "[Ely] couldn't get them to swing at his changeup or get his changeup over for a strike, and that's one of his best pitches."
Torre turns to Vicente Padilla tonight in hopes of claiming a series win. The Dodgers' Opening Day starter comes in having won back-to-back starts and has surrendered two runs or fewer in each of his last three assignments, while pitching into the seventh inning on all of those occasions.
Padilla delivered a seven-inning gem to defeat rival San Francisco on June 30, yielding a run on three hits to help Los Angeles to an 8-2 win, then followed up by limiting Florida to two runs in 6 2/3 innings Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. The veteran right-hander also struck out a season-best nine Marlins in improving to 3-2 on the year.
The native Nicaraguan has made just eight starts this season due to an arm injury that forced him to spend two months on the disabled list, but is 2-1 with a solid 3.05 ERA in three trips to the Dodger Stadium hill. Padilla is 3-4 lifetime against the Cubs with a 4.79 ERA in 15 games, six of which have come in a starting role.
Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier, selected as a starter for the NL in Tuesday's All-Star Game, knocked in two of his team's three runs in Saturday's setback and presently ranks second in the Senior Circuit with a .324 average.
Los Angeles had won eight of its last 11 tilts prior to yesterday's loss and is just two games back of front-running San Diego in the NL West race, with Colorado only one game off the pace in second place.
Chicago won two of three meetings with the Dodgers at Wrigley Field back in late May, but Los Angeles is 10-7 in the last 17 encounters between the teams.
<< Rookie arms on display in Diamondbacks-Marlins clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie right-hander Barry Enright aims for a series
clincher in just his third start as a big-leaguer today, when the Arizona
Diamondbacks host the Florida Marlins in the finale of their four-game series
at Chase Field.
T
<< Sabathia gets call for Yanks' first-half finale with Mariners
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The final of four weekend games between the New York
Yankees and Seattle Mariners will take place at Safeco Field today.
Yankees' ace CC Sabathia will be on the mound for the finale, and that is
typically good news for his
<< Angels, A's hope to close out first half on high note
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
close out a three-game weekend set from the Coliseum this afternoon.
These teams have split the first two meetings of this series, with the
Athletics rebounding from
<< France completes whitewash of Spain
Clermont-Ferrand, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gilles Simon and Julien Benneteau
each won reverse singles matches for France on Sunday to complete a 5-0 rout
of Spain in the Davis Cup quarterfinals.
The Spaniards were the two-time defendin
Longtime Yankees' PA announcer Bob Sheppard dies >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Longtime New York Yankees public address
announcer Bob Sheppard died Sunday. He was 99 years old.
According to the New York Daily News, Sheppard died at his home on Long Island
with his wife, Mary, at hi
White Sox strive for eighth straight win, sweep of Royals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. Cellular Field is the site of today's finale of a
three-game set between the Kansas City Royals and hometown Chicago White Sox,
who'll be taking aim at an eighth consecutive victory.
The White Sox kept up their red-ho
Hudson will make start for White Sox >>
CHICAGO (AP) -The Chicago White Sox have called up right-hander Daniel Hudson from Triple-A Charlotte for Sunday's start against the Kansas City Royals in place of injured Jake Peavy.Hudson was 1-1 in six games, including two starts, last season for
Wiesberger wins on Challenge Tour >>
Monthieux, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Austria's Bernd Wiesberger fired a
course-record, nine-under 62 on Sunday to come from behind and win the Allianz
Golf Open de Lyon on the European Challenge Tour.
Wiesberger finished at 17-under
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
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